The Assyrians at around 8th century B.C. were the first people who put together a few layers of thin bread dough, with chopped nuts in between those layers, added some honey and baked it in their primitive wood burning ovens. This earliest known version of baklava was baked only on special occasions. In fact, historically baklava was considered a food for the rich until mid-19th century.
In Turkey, to this day one can hear a common expression often used by the poor, or even by the middle class, saying: "I am not rich enough to eat baklava and boerek every day".
The Greek seamen and merchants travelling east to Mesopotamia soon discovered the delights of Baklava. It mesmerized their taste buds. They brought the recipe to Athens. The Greeks' major contribution to the development of this pastry is the creation of a dough technique that made it possible to roll it as thin as a leaf, compared to the rough, bread-like texture of the Assyrian dough. In fact, the name "Phyllo" was coined by Greeks, which means "leaf" in the Greek language. In a relatively short time, in every kitchen of wealthy households in the region, trays of baklava were being baked for all kinds of special occasions from the 3rd Century B.C. onwards. The Armenians, as their Kingdom was located on ancient Spice and Silk Routes, integrated for the first time the cinnamon and cloves into the texture of baklava. The Arabs introduced the rose-water and cardamom. The taste changed in subtle nuances as the recipe started crossing borders. To the north of its birthplace, baklava was being baked and served in the palaces of the ancient Persian kingdom. To the west, it was baked in the kitchens of the wealthy Roman mansions, and then in the kitchens of the Byzantine Empire until the fall of the latter in 1453 A.D. That was when the Turks stole our special dessert - the baklava!
In the 15th Century A.D., the Ottomans invaded Constantinople to the west, and they also expanded their eastern territories to cover most of ancient Assyrian lands and the entire Armenian Kingdom. The Byzanthine Empire came to an end, and in the east the Persian Kingdom lost its western provinces to the invaders. For four hundred years from the 16th Century on, until the decline of Ottoman Empire in the 19th Century, the kitchens of Imperial Ottoman Palace in Constantinople became the ultimate culinary hub of the empire.
Here's how to make the genuine greek baklava:
Ingredients
400g walnuts, coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
150-200g butter, melted
@18 sheets fillo pastry
Syrup
400ml water
400g sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
1 tablespoon lemon juice
4-5 tablespoons honey
Directions
1.Select a large oblong roasting tray, approx 35 x 25 cm.If the fyllo pastry is frozen, you will need to thaw it, but keep a clean dry cloth over it as you work to keep it from drying out.Grease the bottom and sides of baking tray.
2.Mix the walnuts, cinnamon and sugar in a bowl.Taking one sheet of fyllo at a time, brush the melted butter very thinly all over the top of the pastry. Lay in the baking tray, if it is too wide or long, hang it over the sides for now.Repeat with the fyllo until there are five sheets of pastry in the tray.
3. Spread half the walnut filling evenly over the pastry.Add three more sheets of fyllo pastry, brushing each layer with melted butter before adding to the tray.Spread the remainder of the walnut mixture over the pastry.If there is any excess pastry up the sides of the tray or hanging over the tray, fold them in over the walnut filling.
If the pastry is a lot larger than the tray, cut the sheets of pastry down to just a tiny bit wider and longer than the tray (to allow for shrinkage when cooking).
4. Finish by adding about 8 or 10 more sheets of fyllo on top, buttering each sheet every time. If the pastry sheets are a bit too big, just fold them back over themselves each time.
5. With a sharp knife, carefully cut small diamond or square shapes, only cutting through the top few layers. This will make it much easier to slice once cooked.
6. Take a cup of cold water and using your fingers, sprinkle a little water over the top of the baklava. This will help prevent the cut pastry from curling up whilst cooking.Place the baking tray in a preheated oven, 180 C, for 30 to 45 minutes, until golden. Cut the slices through to the bottom.
7. Leave to cool completely in the tray, soaking in the aromatic syrup.Remove the slices one at a time from the tray.Baklava will keep for 2-3 days, at room temperature.An alternative filling could include a mixture of walnuts and pistachios.
Source: Ultimate Guide to Greek Food
Μπακλαβάς ο τιμημένος, αλλά γιατί έχω την εντύπωση ότι είναι λέξη με τούρκικη ρίζα;
Posted by: Phivos | January 18, 2010 at 08:12 PM
Ο μπακλαβάς είναι όντως λέξη με τουρκική ρίζα. Ο παππούς μου καταγόταν από τις Κυδωνίες της Μικρασίας και μου είχε πει κάποτε πως ο μπακλαβάς πρωτοφτιάχτηκε στο Βυζάντιο. Η Ελληνική του ονομασία ήταν "κοπτή". Μετά την άλωση της Κωνσταντινούπολης, οι Τούρκοι χρησιμοποίησαν τη γνήσια Ελληνική κοπτή σαν τη βάση του σημερινού μπακλαβά που είναι καθαρά τουρκική ονομασία. Σήμερα είπα να βάλω μια συνταγή του γνήσιου μπακλαβά - έτσι όπως τον φτιάχνουμε στην Ελλάδα.
Posted by: Anastasia | January 18, 2010 at 09:51 PM
Diet or not ...No way to say no to a baklava! I'm not sure if I will have the patience and the skill to make it but go and try the ones in Corfu. The best!
Posted by: Christina | January 18, 2010 at 10:50 PM
Together with kadaifi, this is my most favourite dessert but I'd rather have it with a mixture of walnuts and almonds rather than just walnuts.
Posted by: Constantinos | January 19, 2010 at 08:08 AM
Interesting history of a dessert I've vaguely heard of. But isn't it too sweet with all that sugar and honey?
Posted by: Andy | January 19, 2010 at 11:47 AM
When I lived in Corfu, I used to get some great baklava at To Spiti tou Glykou - a cake shop in the town centre - don't know if it still exists.
Posted by: Anastasia | January 19, 2010 at 12:54 PM
This is also another great combination for the filling.
Posted by: Anastasia | January 19, 2010 at 12:55 PM
Well, Andy, this is supposed to be a sweet dessert but if you like it lighter, you can remove the honey from the syrup and add some more water.
Posted by: Anastasia | January 19, 2010 at 12:56 PM
I used to think it was really complicated to make homemade baklavas but after my first try 2 years ago, I find it very easy. And your recipe sounds quite simple too although it's a bit different from mine. I use the frozen phyllo sold in the supermarkets, I don't use honey and instead of walnuts I use only almonds.
Posted by: Stefania | January 19, 2010 at 07:53 PM
Just a tip about the greek baklavas. Instead of using cold water to sprinkle the baklavas, you can use soda water. This will leave some white spots on the pastry when cooked but they will disappear when you add the syrup.
Posted by: Karolina | January 19, 2010 at 08:47 PM